St. Cloud, Minn. --- Ninth-Rated Minnesota State defeated #13 St. Cloud State, 3-1, after roughly 39 hours of rain delays and wash outs in St. Cloud, Minn. at Joe Faber Field Sunday. Both the Mavericks and Huskies now stand 1-1 in the tournament.

With the win, MSU moves to 40-11 on the season. The 40 wins sits fourth all-time on MSU’s single-season wins list and is the second consecutive season the Mavericks have reached the 40-win mark.

In the start of the eight innings Friday, the Mavericks struck first with a one-run bottom of the second as senior outfielder Danny Miller, who had previously singled to left field, reached home when the second baseman mishandled senior catcher Steven Helget’s grounder.

With one out in the top of the fourth, junior first baseman Joey Benke hit a triple to straight away center, but Benke remained stranded on third as senior right-handed pitcher Luke Putz retired the next two batters.

In the top of the fifth, freshman outfielder Garret Fischer scored the tying run when shortstop Travis Cariveau struck out but reached on a throwing error from Helget, knotting things up a 1-1.

Minnesota State loaded up the bases in the bottom of the fifth after junior outfielder Ben Kincaid walked, junior first baseman Matt Odegaard singled and senior shortstop Zach Rowles walked. However, SCSU sophomore junior pitcher Logan Birr was able to sit the next two batters down to get out of the jam.

Helget earned the first run batted in of the contest in the bottom of the eighth inning with a single to the shortstop. Miller scored on the infield hit, while Berner scored on a throwing error by the shortstop that sailed over the first baseman’s head, putting MSU up, 3-1.

In to close the game in the top of the ninth, two days later due to rain delays and wash outs, was left-handed pitcher Danny Miller who sat down three of the four batters, with the other earning a single.

Putz picks up the win and moves to 8-1 on the season, giving up one unearned run on five hits in eight full innings of work and sat down six batters on strikes.

Suffering the loss was SCSU left-handed pitcher Chris Kubitz who drops to 3-1 on the season.

Miller led MSU at the plate going 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Helget drove in the only run of the game.

Minnesota State (40-11) will now face the Mesa State Mavericks on Joe Faber Field at 10:40 a.m. in an elimination game.

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